Wichita eagle., 1887-06-02
NIHILIST HARTMAN.
THE RUSSIAN REFUGEE LIVING NEAR
THE NEW YORK POSTOFFlcE.

He Talks Freely and Tells Some Ritter
Truths Of Russia-Ths Courts Of the
Czar's Empire-Terrors Of . Central
Prison.
Leo Hartman, the Nihilist, who was
charged with killing Alexander II, Of All the
Russias, on whose head the Russian govern
ment put great price, who was imprisoned
by France at the instance Of Russia, who was
shielded by England and afterwards came
near being handed over to Russian vengeance
by the then secretary Of state, James G.
Blaine, who has been for years under the sur
veillance of Russian detectives, was found a
few days ago by reporter in rather small
room OF an old fashioned house scarcely q
stones throw from The World office
Seated in Hartman's workshop, surrounded
by evidences of bis genius, it seemed almost
incredible that the man telling the story of his
countrys wrongs could be he who was the
> central figure of the civilized world a few
/ years ago.
| Americans, with the utmost liberty Of
press, speech and assemblage. and with free
! ballot, cannot possibly conceive Of the con-
dition of Russia to-day" said Leo Hartman.
/ -They cannot imagine how the viii Of one
man, however distorted his mind, can he the
/ law, to be executed by every official, who
/ represents only that will. BY the greatest
/ stretch of the Imagination Americans cannot
understand how it can be capital offense to
/ criticise the words or acts of a car Yet il
/ is so in Russia, where men are sent to Siberia
/ for talking disrespectfuly to policeman
/ THAT cannot be possible. You are exagger.
ating!" exclaimed the reporter.
- IL ,-t Y
pie here denounce the police; but they do not
know what police Tyranny means. In Russia
the municipalities do not appoint the police
1t is the car. They are his officers and are
above the law, owing to no one an account
but him. These are the open police, and al
though they are tyrants and TO be dreaded
they are not TO be compared to the political
detectives and gems darmes of the ministry
of the interior
"They We're known at one time as the third
section of the imperial chancellory The
name became such a terror, even in that
country of terrorism, that the car was
forced to pretend to abolish it. II still exists
as a special department of the interior
Those who compose it are independent Of all
law. Without form Of law they have power
to search any house and arrest all its inmates
what charge they are held They have no
trial, but sent TO Siberia, TO prison or to
the scaifold, as may seem best To the depart
ment- There is no appeal possible, for no
court has any jurisdiction over a political
II a person is sent 10 Siberia he is an admin
istrative exile, and can never return except
by consent OF the third section As i said, it
is only necessary to be suspected in order to
ha tod fha ~
son is found on the suspect he or she too must
suffer-
but are there no courts In Russian
Certainly there are, and a jury system,
too; but they are for criminals-murderers
thieves, etc. 1 may say, in passing. that
there is no capital punishment in Russia ex-
cept for political offenses. In the territorial
prison il: which 1 spent nine months, in
Ekaterinodar, there were men who had COM
mirted from tan to thirty murders and high
way robberies. They were exiled, while q
landlord, owning thousands OF acres Of land,
was hanged because he gave money TO propa-
gate republicanism. That was before the
terrorist movement began. When a promi-
nent man is arrested, a nobleman or an Of
fetal, for political offense, and il cannot be
hidden. he is taken before a court But what
a court. For such cases the judges are ap-
pointed by the ministry OF justice or war
There is no jury. The accused is not per
mitted to have q lawyer, except, sometimes,
an army officer is detailed for that duty by
the ministry. / need not say that never
knew or heard of a case in which a prisoner
before such court ever regained his free
dom To be even suspected is 70 be doomedl
For IL the judge could not find the prisoner
guilty the third section exiled him anyway
~These msn Of whom you speak, mean
the prisoners, are they all Nihlistsr
Not by any means. As told you q man
has only TO express an opinion contrary 70
that of policeman, detective or some ofii-
cial TO secure his arrest and exile. What do
You think Of its being on ofYense, punishable
with exile. to read any work written by Her
bert Spencer, Professor Huxley. Darwin,
John Stuart Mills 'Utilitarianism,' 'Emanci-
patton Of Women, or Political Economy.
Robert Owens Moral Government or such
worksi Those sent TO Siberia ara not Mill
ists or Terrorists The Terrorists are always
executed or die in prison.
"Are the Nihilists very numerous now In
Russia!-
More numerous than ever. and more de
FAINT than VIXEN I was In Russia You
noticed, probably, that those arrested on the
last attempt 10 execute the car offered 10 re-
sistanCe nor did they try 10 hide their pur-
pose. But IL Russia they are not called Mill
ists-they belong 70 the party NJ the VIII Of
the People, AMI the Extremists are known ss
Active Terrorists Not one Of nv coadj ju-
tors Is alive today: but as fas. as they fall
their places are filed by others In the party
there are representatives of every class in the
community and every grade of official. from
the priest and noble 20 the peasant Origin
ally The party believed merely in prDpagating
the DeceSSity for republican form of
government. and but for the terrorism Il the
car il would have remained 50 until today
We ask that a national assembly be called 20
decide the form Of government for Russia
For asisatiny this question our people were
banged or iDcarcefatesi in central prisons.
which vas xorse These central prisons are
under the direct control Of the central govern
ueDt and distinct from territorial prisons
The walls of the csIis are yard
Wide, with vsUlted ceilInSz The foors
are tbickly matted, 80 are tie corridors os:-
SIDE. LSht Il admitted from q small xia-
dow in tbe roof Food u supplied or a siding
table from the outside. A hole fhe szzs Of
q dollar in the massive door of the cell Per.
nlits tie SallsT 70 So what the pri~onsr h
dong, without htu1sek being otxervssd One
never knows when that eye is ca hifn- Is
tens silence rssgnx The prisoner has bosh-
ing TO oc-upy him bot his thoaghtA lie
never s-s the face of man He .s IN living
tcr1b. Il j; any wonder tha; In about ax
mouths q mans mind sf-e- way. or thAs In
two years De dses q raving rlan4aci Such has
been the fate Il men and women isnt<a-oDed
hecazsse thy believed In q form u go~erB-